Epilogue, Extended
by Aelyna326
Summary: <html><head></head>Maleficent Malfoy doesn't have it easy at Hogwarts, but she's not going to let that stop her - she is her father's daughter, after all. The arrival of her little brother, and his new friends Albus Potter and Rose Weasley, is going to change her life at Hogwarts. Last year all she worried about was her feud with Cicero Zabini, now she's got a handful of bratty kids to look out for!</html>
1. The Dilemma of Screw Ball

**Epilogue, Extended**

_This story runs from just after the epilogue of the last book, as suggested by the title. :)  
>The premise is that all events are cannon as written in the books, and the blonde woman married to Draco Malfoy is Astoria Greengrass. <em>

_The important addition is that they have an older daughter, Maleficent, as well as their son Scopius, Maleficent is the primary character. Hope you enjoy._

**The Dilemma of Screw Ball**

"Mal... can I come in?" She looked up from the large tome she was reading,  
>"Sure." She waited for her brother to speak, but he was quiet, staring at the wall.<br>"What's going through your head Screw Ball?"  
>"It's just... Mal, what will happen if I'm not in Slytherin?"<br>"Dad will kill you."  
>"Will Mum mind?" Mal looked over at him, her brother stared at the wall, his pointy chin was in his hands, he looked depressed. "I don't reckon mum will mind, gran was in Ravenclaw don't forget. And Dad won't really mind so much, not if Mum's okay with it." She waited for him to smile and forget, he usually did after a few minutes, but not today, he kept starring at the wall. "Merlin Screw Ball! What's up with you? There's nothing to worry about, you'll love Hogwarts, and besides, I'll look out for you little brother." She mussed his hair up, and he settled down in the large armchair next to hers.<p>

The talk turned to something less important, she gave her brother the low down on the Hogwarts, the teachers, the ghosts, everything. And then he got her talking about Quidditch. Mal had a harder time at Hogwarts than she would have liked to admit; everyone assumed having a parent on the staff would give you an easy ride, but her father was not exactly mister popular. Not only was he by far the strictest and most frightening teacher to have graced the halls since Severus Snape, his well-known status as an ex-Death Eater made him more than feared, he was hated, by a good majority of the students. Everyone seemed to forget his later assistance to Hogwarts, helping rebuild the school, and all the money he had donated to various causes related to the war – those deeds were eclipsed by the mark on his arm.

But it was not just the stigma of being her father's daughter, Mal was unlucky in another respect. She looked nothing like either of her parents, nothing like her grandparents either. Yes she shared their pale skin, but her eyes were dark, and heavy set, her thick hair as black as a raven's wing. She was, by all accounts, eerily reminiscent of her own great aunt, Bellatrix Lestrange. So Hogwarts, though a place she had dreamt of as a child, did not live up to her expectations. She was ostracised by all but her fellow Slytherins; even the teachers treated her with apprehension, and in one or two cases, outright mistrust.

It did not help that she was easily the most magically talented student in her class, perhaps the whole school. In fact, if one was to think in terms of raw potential, she was the most powerful student to have walked the halls in years. Had her family name not been so closely related to the dark arts, comparisons would have been made between herself and Albus Dumbledore; as it was, she was more often compared with Bellatrix Lestrange (or even he-who-must-not-be-named, but only in whispers). The only time Mal had the whole schools' adoration and respect was on the Quidditch pitch, she was a better Seeker than her father, almost as good as Potter had been.

It may have been her daring and bravado as much as her natural talent that made her so popular on the pitch, she was always entertaining. "There was one time, you'll like this, I was right on the edge of the stands, the snitch was _right there, _just underneath me, you know? And Norton was coming up behind me, now this kid is good, and his broom was a Nimbus 3000, so I had literally a second to think."  
>"What did you do?"<br>"I jumped, just held on with one hand, grabbed the snitch with the other and landed in the middle of the stands, knocked Professor Longbottom right on his bottom. But everyone cheered, even Griffindor was impressed." She grinned and leaned back, letting her brother soak up the story. He hero worshipped his sister, something her father seemed to find irritating, he probably worried his kind, considerate, obedient son would pick up some of Mal's less appealing traits. Some of, if he was honest with himself, _his_ traits.

**I hope you enjoyed that taster, I've been writing this story for a while, and meaning to get it up forever! **

**Aelyna.**


	2. Platform Nine and Three Quarters

**Platform 9¾, Revisited**

Harry smiled as he watched the children head off on the scarlet steam engine that had once meant so much to him, then looked down at his littlest, poor Lily was crying quietly against Ginny. "Come on Lily, let's go and say Hi! to Auntie Luna, she's waving at you." Lily nodded, sniffed and the family headed over to where their old friend waited along the platform. "Hello all, is everything alright Lily?" Luna knelt down to the little girl's level and they started chatting quietly – she had a way with young children.

Harry looked up from Lily, who had stopped crying, and turned to survey the bustling platform, as he watched, a little nostalgic, someone knocked into him. "Watch out!" Snapped his assaulter; she turned around, dragging her fingers through long black hair, to reveal a face he would have sworn he recognised. His hand flew to his wand, but he had just enough sense not to draw it on the 15 year old he was staring at.

He remembered a similar instance, years ago, with the woman now raising his own godson. This girl didn't look like Andromeda though, she had none of her softness, her face was as hard as Bellatrix's had been, her eyes deep set and shadowed, and her attitude was not at all endearing. Though, Harry noticed, she seemed less sure of herself than a moment ago, not frightened, but a little anxious. Her own hand was hovering by her pocket, he realised, and she was tense, ready to draw if he did.

"Maleficent! What are you doing?" Draco Malfoy came up behind the girl, one hand on her shoulder, it could have been casual, or it could have been a restraint. Harry suddenly realised who she was. In fact, he had met her before, before she had started Hogwarts, she must have only been 7 or 8, even then he remembered thinking she was a strange one.

It had been at the ministry, she was waiting for her father who had some business with the governors; sitting on the edge of the fountain, looking into the deep waters with some fascination. Then another child, waiting for his mother, had spotted her, and started, for some reason, throwing coins at her.

Harry had gone over to stop him, but he was too late, one of them had hit her temple, a spot of blood appeared there, crawling its way down. She brushed it away impatiently, standing up, and looking squarely at the boy. "What are you doing?"  
>"You're in the way, I want to put coins in the fountain."<br>"There's lots of room."  
>"But I want to put them there."<br>"I don't care, don't throw things at me!"  
>"Why not? I know who you are..." He said it in such a way it sounded like a threat, like telling would be revealing an awful secret. "Guess what, I know who I am too, I'm Maleficent."<br>"You're Maleficent _Malfoy._ You're a Death Eater."  
>"No, I'm not. My father was a Death Eater, but he's not anymore, so just shut up."<br>"Don't tell me to shut up. You're a Death Eater's daughter! You're bad, you shouldn't be allowed here! You won't be allowed into Hogwarts. I'm going to go as soon as I'm 11, but they won't let you in, because you'll be in Slytherin, then you'll go mad, and kill people, just like your father, and your aunt!"

The girl stood up suddenly, and behind her the water of the fountain began to rise, frothing over the rim, spilling out onto the floor. She was screaming at the boy, "I'm not a Death Eater, and I will be allowed into Hogwarts, my dad _works _at Hogwarts!" The boy wasn't cowed by the display of wild, uncontrolled magic. "I say he should be fired. I bet that's why he's in the meeting, 'cause they're firing him for being a Death Eater."  
>"No they're not! Shut up, shut up, shut up!"<p>

"Hey, you two-" Harry called out, watching the water in the fountain begin to reach capacity, but just then the boy's mother walked out of her office. Lucinda Zabini grabbed her son, dragging him away. "What are you doing? Don't talk to that girl! She's not nice." Little Zabini looked behind him, and called out, "I know, she's bad."  
>"Yes," Said his mother, "She is. Don't talk to her Cicero." She marched him out of the building, Harry's attention turned back to the girl, who had watched them leave silently. She looked like she wanted to cry, but she didn't. Instead, the water, already roiling, ebbing and flowing, suddenly exploded from the fountain, swamping the girl, Harry, and every other person in the vicinity. There were cries and shouts, Draco Malfoy ran out of a meeting room, followed by a group of Hogwarts governors, wands drawn.<p>

He saw his daughter standing there, waved at the rest to stand down, and started wading over, Maleficent put her arms out, she might have been crying then, but she was too wet to be sure. He grabbed her, swinging her up, out of the ankle deep water. Harry couldn't hear what was said, but he saw Malfoy brush the wet hair off his daughter's face, question her intently for a minute, then nod. She wrapped her arms around his neck, burying her face in his shoulder.

Then he had to explain the events to the rest of the ministry. They were getting quite irate about it, so Harry decided to intervene. "I think maybe this should wait until later, we're all soaked, and Maleficent's going to get cold if she doesn't get some dry clothes on."  
>"Yes, yes, exactly. Quite." Draco was distracted, looking at his sopping wet daughter with something approaching fear, though Harry was pretty sure it was fear <em>for <em>her, not _of _her. "I'll be back to deal with this in an hour. I need to take my daughter home." He turned back once, "Thank you, Potter."

She had changed a lot since then, grown up, and with her age, her power had also increased. Harry heard stories from James about her, there was something like awe in his voice when he spoke of her prowess on the Quidditch pitch, of her many duels with the likes of Cicero Zabini, of her being the only 5th year student in 6th year classes, because she was so quickly surpassing the rest of her peers. He had heard just how similar she looked to the picture of the dark witch James had found in the library, but he had never really imagined...

"Nothing, I just knocked into-"  
>"Well apologise, and let's go. You're going to be late."<br>"Right, sorry Mr Potter." She turned around, not waiting for any reply, and strode away. Draco looked after her with irritation, then turned back to Harry. He nodded curtly, "Potter."  
>"Malfoy." Then he was gone, sweeping after his daughter.<p>

Ginny came up beside him, putting her hand into his. "What was that about?"  
>"Maleficent Malfoy. Have you seen her recently Ginny, she looks-"<br>"I know."  
>"Do you think it means something?"<br>"No I don't! Nothing more than unlucky genetics anyway. What you look like doesn't define you, your family doesn't define you, I don't intend to judge the girl on an accident of birth."  
>"You're right Gin, of course you are." And he sort of meant it, from what James had said, she wasn't the bully her father had been, but she wasn't kind either, she was hard, and cold. So no he wouldn't make a judgement just yet, but he would also keep half an eye on her, or an ear, just to see what direction she was going. He was, after all, an Auror, and to let a bad feeling go, would not have been doing his job.<p> 


	3. Anything From the Trolley Dears?

**Anything from the Trolley Dears?**

Rose and Albus sat down in an empty compartment, for a moment they were quiet, both contemplating the excitement of their first school term, then their silent thoughts were disturbed by someone entering the carriage. Rose immediately recognised the blonde boy as Scorpius Malfoy, their fathers knew each other, though she knew they didn't like each other. He gave the pair a nervous look, then said; "Um, excuse me, do you mind if I sit here?" Neither did, so he sat down. After a moment Rose thought to make introductions and the three started to relax a bit, it turned out that Scorpius was a nice boy, if a little quiet. He, like Albus, was worried that he would be sorted into the wrong house. However, far from being worried about becoming a Slytherin, he was frightened he wouldn't be. Both his parents, and his sister were Slytherins; and he felt he would be letting the family down if he wasn't.

"But, don't Slytherins have it quite hard at Hogwarts?" Rose tried not to sound judgemental,  
>"I suppose, my sister definitely does. But she's really brave, she'll look after me. And besides, even if I'm not in Slytherin, I'm still the son of an ex-Death Eater. I'm never going to be very popular, am I?" Rose sat up straighter, and said, passionately,<br>"Nonsense! You're father's actions don't define you. And besides, Professor Malfoy was very young when he did those things. He's made up for all of it by years of service to Hogwarts. He teaches Defence Against the Dark Arts for goodness sake!"  
>"You think so?" Scorpius sounded grateful,<br>"Absolutely. No matter what house you're in Scorpius, we're going to be friends." She smiled assuredly, and he smiled back. Albus grinned to himself, Rose was always so very sure of herself, he wished he had that confidence.

A sudden voice from outside the carriage startled them all, "Anything from the trolley dears?"  
>"We should go and get something." Albus said. Rose and Scorpius followed him out and into the corridor, they all bought Pumpkin Pasties and some sweets, and were about to leave when they were stopped by a disturbance down the carriage. Rose knew that it was curiosity that killed the cat, but she couldn't resist leading the boys toward the end of the carriage, where she was surprised to see a tall, dark haired girl, soon identified as Scorpius's sister, in an altercation with another student. The three of them were spotted by James and he motioned them over.<p>

"What's going on James?" Albus asked, and James was, as always, delighted to tell.  
>"Well, Maleficent Malfoy is fighting with Cicero Zabini, apparently she knocked into him as she passed. They've hated each other for ever." Rose patted Scorpius' arm,<br>"Don't worry Scorpius, I'm sure she can look out for herself."  
>"Oh I know," Scorpius said cheerfully, "They're right about Mal, she is the most powerful witch in the school, he should be the one who's worried."<p>

"You think you can walk around here without looking and everyone will get out of your way, don't you Malfoy? You think people will move aside because they're scared of you? Well, I'm not scared of you... Not you, and not your Death Eater father."  
>"Old insults Zabini, you're getting boring." Mal's arms were crossed against her chest, she lent against the carriage wall – but her posture was only a disguise for the depth of her anger. "If you're tired of me, why don't you leave? You don't belong here. You don't belong at Hogwarts, maybe you'd fit in better at Durmstrang? With Karkarov, he was a good friend of your granddad's, wasn't he?"<br>"Pretty sure he was closer to your grandmother actually, though, there's not many men who weren't."  
>"Hey! Don't you talk about my grandmother!"<br>"Why not? She was just a slut who killed men for their money. She probably did more damage than my grandfather!" Zabini drew his wand, "Langlock." He flicked his wand at her mouth, but she was faster, and it bounced harmlessly off her shield. Before he could recover himself, she cast a counter jinx, "Kyanos Pigmentum."

Before everyone's eyes, the gorgeous Zabini's hair turned deep blue, followed swiftly, and hilariously, by his skin. Laughter erupted, "Oh dear Zabini, feeling blue?" The laughter reached a roar and Zabini staring at his blue hands, gave a cry of dismay. "What have you done?"  
>"A little jinx I made up myself. Do you know what that means Zabini? It means there's no counter."<br>"You'll regret this Malfoy!"  
>"I really won't Zabini, now run along, go and explain to your idiot friends how I beat you, <em>again<em>." At that moment Louis Weasley pushed Rose, Albus, James and Scorpius aside, and marched up to the duelling pair. "What have you done Malfoy?"  
>"What does it look like? I turned this moron blue."<br>"Your going to be in so much trouble for this."  
>"Oh no, trouble! Really? Because I'm not used to that. Besides, what's going to happen? Is my head of house going to expel me?"<br>"One day, your father's name isn't going to be enough to protect you." Mal actually laughed, though it was bitter. "Protect me? From the first day I entered this school, my father's name has been nothing but a curse. Your friend made sure of that." Louis looked a little uncomfortable, "You brought this on yourself Malfoy."  
>"How? By being born the daughter of a convicted Death Eater? By happening to look my dead aunt? By being a good witch?"<br>"By being... you know how."  
>"Take your friend, and go jump of a bridge Pretty Boy." She turned away, about to head back to her carriage, then she spotted Scorpius.<p>

"Hey, Screw Ball!" Her brother looked up, "Tell dad about this and first year hexing will be the least of your worries, are we crystal?"  
>"Yes Mal." She nodded and gestured for her friends to follow her into their carriage. Inside they congratulated her on her easy victory, and discussed their holidays.<p>

The rest of the journey was incident free, but Mal felt a sort of flatness overcome her, she couldn't seem to escape her blood, no matter what she did. Or didn't do. The jinxes her and Zabini exchanged were mild in comparison to what she knew she was capable of. This year was going to be different though, Mal was going to use everything she had, and learn even more, to live up to the names they called her. If they wanted to see Bellatrix Lestrange back roaming the halls of Hogwarts, she'd give them what she wanted. If you couldn't be liked, maybe it was worth being feared – otherwise, what did you have?


	4. Sorting and Distorting

**Sorting and Distorting**

"She seemed... nice." Albus lied when they were back in the carriage, Rose nodded, and Scorpius just sighed. The four children sat in almost complete silence until it was time for them to leave the train and head into the school. They were met by Hagrid and taken to the boats, it was just Albus, Scorpius, and Rose now, James had already done this bit. The sorting was the most nerve racking and most anticipated thing the trio had done all day. Scorpius was sorted into Ravenclaw, Rose smiled and clapped, but her eyes were drawn to the Slytherin table, where she saw his sister clapping slowly, looking... odd. There was no animosity on her hard face, but she didn't look truly pleased; he thought she looked a little sad, Rose decided.

Albus was sorted, to everyone's horror (his most of all), into Slytherin. He seemed frozen for a moment, then turned slowly to walk toward the table he had been assigned. Rose was surprised, and pleased, to see Mal make a space for him. When Rose was also sorted into Ravenclaw she made her way over to Scorpius; when the rest of the students had been sorted and everyone was sitting down, it was time for the Headmaster's speech.

Professor Shacklebolt stood up and spoke, his voice washed over them like the swell of the ocean. He kept it short and to the point, but there was an almost invisible smile on his face that gave him a fatherly look. When that was finished, it was time to eat, "Poor Albus, at least your sister seems to be talking to him." Rose said quietly to Scorpius, the elder Malfoy was indeed speaking to Albus Potter, she was introducing herself and her friends to the terrified boy. He reminded her of her brother a little, she supposed; pale, nervous and quiet as he was, so she made an effort. Soon enough he was chatting with the younger brothers and sisters of her friends, who had also been sorted in Slytherin.

Up on the High Table, she could see her father watching, it would be interesting to discover what he thought of Scorpius being situated in Ravenclaw, her mother wouldn't mind, but then she was far softer than her father. Mal had inherited the harsh side, but maybe that was lucky, if she had been like Scorpius, she would never have survived her years at Hogwarts.

After dinner the school separated off into houses, and Mal finally felt relaxed. Her fellow Slytherins accepted her with an ease she did not otherwise experience. In a little way, it was down to her overt power; something Slytherins naturally respected. But it was more than that, every one of them knew the stigma. The side of light had won, Gryffindor and Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw had worked together to defeat the Dark Lord, and Slytherin still suffered the loss, though not one of the children in the common room had been been born during that damn war. They were still on the outside, and as outsiders, they had to stick together.

She was teaching Albus, and the rest of the first years, that lesson, as gently as it could be done. They were settled around the fire, herself, her friends, and the newbies; chatting quietly, the older students imparting their knowledge of Hogwarts and its unwritten rules – the ones that mostly applied to Slytherins. Soon the younger ones became comfortable enough to converse among themselves, discussing their experiences of the first day, and their different backgrounds.

It was then Mal picked up one of her new books, and began to read. She never read these books in the library, in front of the other students, they would have looked at the titles and immediately jumped to conclusions. The truth of it was; she just wanted to be pushed, and with her natural gifts, she had to do more than the standard reading for fifth years – dark magic was so much more interesting. Luckily the library at Malfoy manor was very well stocked, so she had taken to bringing a selection of books with her from home. Still, her innocent interest would certainly be twisted and misconstrued by Cicero Zabini and his cronies – distorted into further proof of her innate evil. It didn't seem to matter to him that his own father was an alumnus of Slytherin, he was in Gryffindor, and that was all anyone needed to know in order to accept him; but to cement his position, he was the most open about his dislike and mistrust of the Dungeon House.


	5. An Unexpected Letter

**An Unexpected Letter**

Well, Ravenclaw. At least it wasn't Hufflepuff. Draco felt like he should be more disappointed, but he wasn't. In a very, very, deep part of himself, he was probably just a bit pleased. He remembered Maleficent's sorting with a vivid clarity, the hat had been on her head for such a long time, about as long as it had been on Potter's, all those years ago, and when the final word rang out, "Slytherin!", she had taken the hat off, turned to look at the High Table, smiled nervously at her father, and he had allowed himself a smile back. Her little face had lit up.

She made friends quickly, excelled in all her subjects, but by the end of first year it was becoming clear there was a problem. Children could be cruel, and they were, often. All Syltherin's got stick, but there was something about Mal that scared people. He thought it might well be her relationship to him, so by the time the second year rolled around, he distanced himself. He was a consummate professional anyway, but he made doubly sure there was never a cause for the other students to think he favoured her. Maybe he went too far, maybe he was too harsh, but to his mind, the other students thinking his relationship with his little girl was less than perfect, was better than her being thought of as her father's daughter.

Second year passed, third year started, and things were worse. He had not counted on the damage he could do to their relationship in the course of a year, but by the time they went home for the Summer, she was no longer his little girl. Her anger, unrestrained now they were at home, put him on the defensive. Astoria tried to mediate, but the similarities in personality; the stubbornness (or strength of character, as Draco would have called it), and the fiery temper, did not make for an easy reconciliation. So, they went back to school still enemies, and even being her father's enemy did not help Mal's reputation, it just left her all the more alone.

A month into third year, her reputation was utterly irreparable. Someone had found a picture of Bellatrix Lestrange, from her last year in Hogwarts, they had plastered it to the door of the Slytherin Common room, with the words _Bellatrix Black_ crossed out, and _Maleficent Malfoy_ emblazoned beneath it. Mal's closest friend, Iris, had taken it down, brought it into the common room and shown her friend; Mal had hoped that would be the end of it, her friends looked a bit... confused, but they weren't so eager to judge her as the rest of the school. Of course, that wasn't the end, there had been many, many, more, plastered all over the castle. No one was disciplined, but then no one came forward, most of the students thought it was knowledge everyone should have; as though her resemblance of her aunt suggested some other, dangerous, predispositions.

When she found the one pinned to the doors to the Great Hall, she tore it off, and marched into her father's office, crumpled parchment in hand. "Is it true?! You knew her, is it?! Do I look like her? Or is it just them, did they enchant this to look like me?" He had taken the parchment, spread it out onto his desk, he sighed, rubbed his eyes, nodded. "It's a real picture, and there is something there. I've wondered... but don't worry Mal, it's... it's probably something you'll grow out of..." She actually screamed, a short, sharp yell of anguish.  
>"Why? Why do I look like her? What does it mean? Will I... will I be like her?" He had stood up, moved around the desk, reaching out for his daughter, but she'd taken a step back, shaking her head; like she was afraid his touch was poison, or perhaps, even worse, hers was.<p>

She'd run out of the office in the same rage she had entered, tears streaming down her face. He had sat heavily in his chair, written a letter to his wife, begging for advice, then moved to the armchair; where he had been in solemn contemplation for hour after hour.

So yes, in a deep place inside himself, he had hoped Scorpius _wouldn't _make Slytherin. He hoped his son would be in one of the other houses, free from the stain of his family name, of his sister's curse, of his father's legacy.

He watched his son carefully over the first few weeks, but it seemed he was settling in well, already close friends with Rose Weasely. Apparently she was beating him in every test, but then, that was no surprise. The girl had inherited her mother's brains, lucky for her. And his son, though full of hope and compassion, was no genius. He watched Rose with some interest, wondering if she wouldn't show some strong magical potential, but though she was book smart, she was nothing on his daughter – it takes more than textbook knowledge to make a truly powerful witch. His son's other close friend was Potter's youngest boy, Albus-Severus, the surprise Slytherin. He was also shy, but clever and logical, a good match for quiet Scorpius's whimsical mind.

His daughter too had befriended Albus, in fact it was said she had become something of a mentor. He secretly wondered how long it would take the boy to realise she was not a suitable friend for a Potter. These thoughts were erased completely by an unexpected letter he received.

_Dear Professor Malfoy,_

_I have not had the opportunity to speak to you since I saw you briefly on Platform 9¾, so I thought I ought to write. Myself and Harry are so very grateful for your daughter's attentions to little Al, he was so nervous about joining Hogwarts, and even more so when he was sorted into Slytherin; but her friendship and guidance has completely changed his outlook. _

_He tells me he has also become fast friends with Scorpius, I am of course delighted, as is Harry, we both hope that these friendships are signs of things to come, of a bridge, built between Houses (and families), too long divided. _

_For this reason, we would like to extend an invitation to join us for dinner when we visit Hogwarts next month, for the Gryffindor-Slytherin Quidditch game. We will be meeting at the Hog's Head after the game, and would love for yourself and your wife to join us. We are not bringing our children, the Hog's Head has never been the most child-friendly of places; but we would love to meet Maleficent and Scorpius, and wouldn't want you to think they are not invited – I am only trying to say it's entirely your decision, as their parent, as it should be. _

_Anyway, we hope to see you soon. _

_Yours ever; _

_Ginevra__ Ginny Potter. _

He wrote back immediately,

_Dear Ginny, _

_Thank you for your letter, I was glad to hear my daughter's influence on Albus has been a positive one. His friendship with my son has been a joy for me also, he's a bright young man, and a good influence on Scorpius's work ethic. _

_I am sure I speak for both my children, and my wife, when I say I dearly wish for this bridge, and as such am very glad to accept your invitation on behalf of my family, it is most kind. I will bring my daughter, in the hope that she is old enough to survive Aberforth and his goats; but Scorpius might be a little overcome. My wife Astoria is often called into the Ministry at odd hours, but I'm hopeful she will come. _

_Yours ever;_

_Draco M. _

He sent a copy of both letters to his wife, and though she was as surprised he was, she saw the wisdom of cultivating a friendship between the two families. Not least for the benefit of their outcast daughter.

Already the dynamic was changing things, Albus had been insistent with his cousin Louis that Maleficent wasn't as bad as everyone thought, in fact he had become very defensive of her. And Louis was taking it on board, he couldn't stop Cicero, but he refused point blank to get involved nowadays, when once he might have let himself get embroiled in an argument, or even the occasional fight. As a prefect, he still had to break them up, but he was a lot less biased than once upon a time.

And Scorpius's innate sweetness, and unexpected sorting, meant he was more easily accepted by the other houses. Since being needlessly cruel to his sister would obviously have upset him, many of the Ravenclaws had withdrawn from the battle, though they were still wary of Mal.

All in all, her fifth year was shaping up to be a good one. She only had a week of detentions for her little altercation with Zabini, and Professor Shacklebolt had even taken 10 points from Gryffindor for his part in it.


End file.
